Country music: Where washed-up pop stars go to revive their careers
Bon Jovi had a big hit not long ago with "Who Says You Can't Go Home," which became a crossover success on the pop and country charts. But let's be honest - that song was a calculated decision by the band (or their people) to reach out to a new audience, since their recent albums haven't been selling.
Going country has reaped big rewards for Kid Rock, Michelle Branch, Sheryl Crow, and many others. The latest washed-up pop stars to go country are Jewel and Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish.
An argument could be made that Rucker's transformation isn't that significant, because Hootie's laid-back acoustic guitar-based rock isn't that far off Nashville's sound. But I choose the more cynical view, that Rucker simply realized he'd never score another pop hit and made a conscious decision to switch genres.
The Jewel song really doesn't sound very country at all, except for a spare slide guitar. It's more like the simple ballads that appeared on her early records.
Video: Darius Rucker - Don't Think I Don't Think About It
Video: Jewel - Perfectly Clear
So, which other pop acts will decide they can no longer compete on the pop charts and head over to the world of country music? My vote is for Jakob Dylan, Counting Crows, and the Dixie Chicks.
Oh, wait...
5 comments:
Yeah, but the lines between country and pop are really blurred these days. And Bon Jovi has always had that old fashioned good ol' rock and roll thing going on, anyway. A lot of the songs on "New Jersey" could've been country songs.
Don't attack my '80s icons, boy! :)
They'd be a good band for that CMT Crossroads series. If they haven't been on it already.
They have! With Sugarland.
Now, just you hang on a second, there, blondie! Let's work backwards, here; the Dixie Chicks were a country success before they hit the pop charts; Jewel never really stopped being "folky" in my ears (except, maybe, for "Intuition"?); I don't feel the need to address Pootie and the Suckfish (oh, wait, I just did); and Bon Jovi, Michelle Branch, Sheryl Crow, Jakob Dylan, and Counting Crows have always had serious crossover potential/appeal. (As for Kid Rock, umm...I've never known what to say, other than that he made me wanna be a cowboy, baby, bad enough to buy DEVIL WITHOUT A CAUSE several years ago...Now, get in the pit and try to love someone!) To be honest, as I look at the poop charts today, (oops, was that out loud?) I can see what a great many talented songsmiths would abandon pursuit of the demographic represented by that term altogether. I certainly have. But then, I'm in love with Amanda Palmer, so what would you expect? ;-)
i've never known what to think of kid rock... except that i suppose he deserves credit for changing his style enough to stay around for a decade...
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